How We Got Through the Year

Getting By

Last winter, the economic situation seemed pretty grim. The collapse of Lehman Brothers in September set off a panic, the stock market tanked, and people worried that we might be headed for another Great Depression.

As we head into 2010, the tide hasn’t quite turned, but things do seem to be getting ... better. It feels like we’ve pulled back from the brink. Time just named fed chairman Ben Bernanke its 2009 Person of the Year for preventing “an economic catastrophe.” And last Friday, the Vermont Department of Labor announced that the jobless rate fell for a sixth straight month. November’s was 6.4 percent, compared with 6.5 percent in October and 7.4 percent in May.

Andrew Condon, economic and market information chief at the Vermont Department of Labor, is hopeful. “It’s probably too optimistic to say we’ve seen the bottom and are in recovery,” he told the Burlington Free Press, “but stable job counts are not a bad thing.”

And so, after a year of sharing personal stories and money-saving strategies, we’re ending “Getting By,” our column devoted to how Vermonters are surviving the recession. For our final column, we asked readers to tell us how they and their businesses managed this past year. Their responses indicate that maybe things aren’t so bad after all…

We heard from a Burlington resident who cut costs by refinancing her house and from a Colchester man who saved money by switching from Labatt Blue to Schlitz, though he quips he “may have lost the difference on toilet paper.”

Several people told us they used the downturn as an opportunity to go back to school or start their own business. One former Seven Days staffer, who now lives in California, responded that she had a tough time finding employment after being laid off from her first job in that state. “I decided to launch my own biz ... and I retained my former employer as a client,” she wrote.

Jodi Whalen, co-owner of Burlington’s August First, recalled how she and her husband, Phil Merrick, decided to start their bakery a year ago, “at the height of the market crash and fear about a new Great Depression.”

So far, their gamble has paid off — the South Champlain Street eatery seems to be thriving. But Whalen noted that they’ve been frugal, using secondhand and upcycled equipment whenever possible. “Our menu board was once a screen door,” she explained. “Our staff aprons and baker’s hats are made from reclaimed men’s dress shirts, and our bread rack is made from old wooden window blinds from a central Vermont train station. By paying attention instead of paying money,” she concluded, “we were able to open our doors without breaking the bank!”

Other local businesses responded to the challenging economic climate by reinventing themselves. Union Street Media is one such example. The Burlington-based web development firm specializes in making websites for real estate firms, particularly for high-end clients. But the luxury real estate market was hit hard by the economic crisis.

“We found with the downturn, especially with the housing crunch, realtors just didn’t have the money to spend,” said USM account executive Spencer Taylor.

So, rather than focusing solely on customizable sites, the company decided to create a web platform it could sell at an introductory rate to clients who couldn’t afford all the bells and whistles. Clients could then add more features as they were able. USM also beefed up its Internet marketing services. “We’ve seen a huge growth in interest inbound marketing,” Taylor noted.

That change in focus required USM to expand. It actually added seven jobs in the past year, including Taylor’s, bringing the total workforce to 21.

Taylor called 2009 “a building year” for the company, which hopes its investment will pay off in 2010.

It was definitely a difficult year for nonprofits and community organizations. Many of them saw donations drop off, while the need for services rose. In November, the Associated Press reported that donations to food drives for the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf in Burlington were down, in some cases by more than 50 percent.

But sometimes that struggle brings out the best in people. Enosburg Food Shelf chairman Ethan Dezotelle told us the organization got by “thanks to an incredible group of community-minded folks who helped keep the Enosburg Food Shelf strong.”

He added, “You can never get through a year like this without many helping hands.”

More by Cathy Resmer

Social Sentinel, a Burlington-based company that identifies threatening content on social media, was among the winners of the 2018 Tech Jam awards, presented last Friday at the 12th Vermont Tech Jam. The prizes, given annually by the Vermont Technology Alliance, BTV Ignite and Seven Days, recognize leaders in the state's tech ecosystem.
The awards ceremony was the culmination of a busy day at the free career and tech expo organized by Seven Days and presented by Vermont Works. Representatives from more than 50 companies and colleges talked with hundreds of attendees who walked the expo floor.
Jeff Couture, executive director of the Vermont Technology Alliance, said he talked with job seekers from across Vermont and outside the state at the event, "including someone, suitcase in hand, who visited from North Carolina."

About The Author

Bio:Deputy publisher Cathy Resmer is an organizer of the Vermont Tech Jam, and compiles a weekly tech e-newsletter every Monday. She also oversees HR, helps manage Seven Days' digital staff and oversees its parenting publication, Kids VT. In 2018, she designed and administered a statewide youth civics project, the...Deputy publisher Cathy Resmer is an organizer of the Vermont Tech Jam, and compiles a weekly tech e-newsletter every Monday. She also oversees HR, helps manage Seven Days' digital staff and oversees its parenting publication, Kids VT. In 2018, she designed and administered a statewide youth civics project, the Good Citizen Challenge.

Resmer began her career at Seven Days as a freelance writer in 2001, first writing about the local poetry scene, as well as quirky pastimes including unicycle riding, hunting for wild bonsai trees and competing in SCRABBLE tournaments.

She was hired as a staff writer in 2005, and started Seven Days' first blog, 802 Online. She became the publication's first online editor in 2007, and launched its first email newsletter, Notes on the Weekend, as well as its social media channels. In 2010, Resmer became a minority owner of Seven Days' parent company, Da Capo Publishing.

Her work has been recognized by the Vermont Press Association, the Parenting Media Association and the Association of Alternative Newsmedia. In 2010, she was named to Vermont Business Magazine's list of the state's "40 under 40 Rising Stars."

Resmer lives in Winooski with her wife and their two children, and is an enthusiastic wrestling mom.more

Comments

Seven Days moderates comments in order to ensure a civil environment. Please treat the comments section as you would a town meeting, dinner party or classroom discussion. In other words, keep commenting classy! Read our guidelines...